Alessandria – Italy

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It’s impossible not to mention Humphrey Bogart when we want to talk about Borsalino; he wore it in almost all his films, making it a myth with the movie Casablanca, where both he and Ingrid Bergman wore hats from the same company.

The first “Borsalino” was born in Alexandria on April 4, 1857, by Giuseppe Borsalino, who brought to his city the art of the headdress taught in Paris. From that moment, the fame of Borsalino hats, especially on the Fedora and Trilby models, will grow steadily, thanks also to the stars of cinema and music, who wearing them has made them icons. In 1970, Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo appeared in a movie called “Borsalino”, which in 1974 had a sequel, “Borsalino and Co.”.

Let’s not forget Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Robert Bedford, Robert De Niro, and Al Pacino.

The hat, commonly called, “Borsalino“, was also the protagonist in all the movies of Federico Fellini, Sergio Leone and his cowboys in his Westerns movies, used only Borsalino productions and so did Warren Beatty, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp and then Leonardo Di Caprio, Ben Affleck. The Borsalino hat has also been an unforgettable companion to Harrison Ford in all his films devoted to Indiana Jones, the archeologist born of the imagination of George Lucas.

But Borsalino is not only cinema and music, but it is also the sporting life and many national teams have used the hats of the Monferrato company for the opening parades at the various Olympic Games and PanAm made a symbol of the company making it worn by all the hostesses of the iconic airline become an icon of world aviation culture and history. Each was designed and made by Borsalino in Alessandria.

A brand that has become a myth, in movies, fashion, in costumes. An iconic image, in which personalities of entertainment, culture, institutions, and economy have loved to recognize themselves, as well as millions of people around the world who have worn an unmistakable piece of clothing, always considered synonymous with class, style, originality.

Now, from a project born from the collaboration between the City of Alessandria and the Borsalino Foundation, on April 4, 2023, on the 166th anniversary of the Borsalino foundation, there will be the opening of the Museum dedicated to the highest Italian excellence in the production of hats. A company that has brought the “made in Italy” into fashion in the world and that was born before Fiat.

The new museum, redesigning and preserving the place’s identity and spirit, is spread over 620 square meters, divided into spaces dedicated to the exhibition to others intended for sharing and open to the public, with a coffee bar and a Gift Shop.

Speaking about the Museum, on the day of the preview presentation to the press, Giorgio Abonante, Mayor of Alessandria, said: “The Borsalino Museum represent an opportunity for our community. It is a matter of enhancing the Alessandria-Manufacture Borsalino combination, the genuineness of a product that still today comes from the know-how and manual skills of the artisans who work in our town. In the Alessandria area, there is a trend in the luxury market, and we think that Palazzo Borsalino is an evocative place not only of history, but also of the present which traces one of the horizon lines of our future”.

The reference to the new headquarters of Bulgari, which has built its largest laboratory in the world, follows the vital presence of Damiani and the upcoming opening (probably about 2024) of Cartier, in the “city of gold”, Valenza, just a few miles away, and also Serravalle Scrivia a few miles south towards Genoa, where the most oversized Design Outlet in Europe is located, which last year had 6.5 million visitors from all around the world. The presence of the visit makes it the second Italian site in numerous visits, preceded only by the Colosseum in Rome.

Philippe Camperio, President of the Borsalino Foundation, added: “The Museum preserves the memory of Borsalino and will inspire the future of the company. I hope that this project can increase the tourist attractiveness of the city. This is what Alessandria and Borsalino deserve, an indissoluble combination for 166 years“.

The “Museo Borsalino” is a fascinating tour.  It is a dynamic and innovative place that accompanies visitors to discover the Italian hat culture. An emotional journey that overlaps and intertwines many levels: the story of an entrepreneurial dynasty, that of its territory of origin, the artisan tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation and, finally, the extraordinary hats that tell the creative dialogue of Borsalino with art, design, fashion and, above all, cinema. The museum’s exhibition is flanked by a rich multimedia system that accompanies visitors and allows a customized and highly experiential result.

A series of three thematic zones pass through the Borsalino Palace and reveal a history that begins in 1857 and arrives today. The route begins with Antica CASA, a multimedia installation that retraces the main steps in the history of the hat industry and deepens its relationship with the territory. Manufacture is the name of the area dedicated to the production processes of the hats, where an immersive video projection and a series of explanatory artefacts accompany the visitor to discover the techniques and secrets of the artisans of Alessandria. Finally, we come to the Gallery section with over 2,000 hats on display, organized in eight narrative paths, for an unprecedented experience in the world.

The historic collection of Borsalino hats, donated in 1994 by Giovanna Usuelli Borsalino to the City of Alessandria, has been enriched by about 200 new acquisitions that Fondazione Borsalino has made available to the Museum to increase its attractiveness. The historic showcases designed by Ignazio Gardella for the ancient Sala Campioni Borsalino stand out in the Gallery section of the Museum with a new lighting system, which guides visitors through eight narrative paths: Twenty hats that changed the world, Traveling with Borsalino, The legendary Panama hats, Borsalino and women, The hat that bewitched cinema, Borsalino for… and Borsalino & other stories. 

Eighty specimens from the collection, selected for their extraordinary value, are enriched with stories, images and videos, accessible through the Borsalino Museum’s app.

In addition to the eight paths, collateral narratives dedicated to themes will be grafted cyclically.

The tour of the museum is completed with the video installations Borsalino and cinema: a long love story, Paper treasures: advertising posters of the Borsalino collection and the origin of the Panama hats.

In the meantime, in honour of the launch of the museum and the new YouTube Channel, has been presented an unprecedented short film with premiere screening previews in Paris, Tokyo, and Alessandria, on March 14th, 2023.

“Tornando a Casa”, is the title of this exciting short film starring the internationally renowned actress Caterina Murino. Written by Brand curator Giacomo Santucci and directed by Photographer Joseph Cardo, the short movie celebrates Borsalino’s DNA, which

draws inspiration from history to design a future full of contemporary creativity. 

With this unprecedented project, Borsalino confirms its historic link with the world of cinema, which continues from the Golden Age of Hollywood up until the present day.

The city of Alessandria, the heart of Borsalino since 1857, plays a fundamental role and location in the short film, which brings to life two of the most representative places in the area: Palazzo Borsalino, the majestic seat of the hat maker and now a museum and university, and Villa Guerci, an elegant residence in the historic downtown.

The video is available on BORSALINO YouTube channel.

Where: Corso Cento Cannoni, 21 Alessandria – Italy

Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 7 pm (last entry at 5.30 pm)

Ticket: 12 €

Booking information: www.borsalinomuseum.com.